Nigerian President Blames Deforestation for Climate Change

In a striking breath of fresh air, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo called on his neighbors to follow international accords on climate change, emphasizing land use policy as the main culprit for regional drought. Here is the crux of his speech:

He said deforestation was having a detrimental effect on the continent's ecology and called for urgent action to prevent Lake Chad, a shallow lake providing water to millions of people in several African countries, from drying up.

"We have to do something about the lake so that about 10 million people will not be out of water," Obasanjo warned.

Lake Chad borders Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Water levels have been falling in recent years due to climate change and increased human usage.

Deforestation is something both sides of the global warming debate can agree on: changing the environment radically, especially clear-cutting what was once forest, will increase the average temperature for the habitat, and the surrounding habitats. This is a well-known effect, and is something that is entirely correctable. Unfortunately, the solution will also take decades to reverse the warming trend around Lake Chad, but adhering to international protocols and treaties will be a big step in reversing that trend. Bonus point: not one mention of CO2 or global warming.